This relates generally to controlling the consumption of power in components of processor-based systems, as well as in systems including those components.
Many processor-based systems operate from battery power supplies. As a result, power consumption is an important consideration since users do not want their devices to run out of power while in use.
Existing schemes for power consumption planning and control may reduce the operating point of a component if its power consumption exceeds a fixed threshold. One such scheme, called Fast-Running Average Power Limit (RAPL)/ProcHot, used in some Intel® architectures, requires fast response firmware that some processors and voltage regulators do not support. See Intel® 64 and IA-32 architectures, Software Developer's Manual, Volume 3B, System Programming Guide, Part 2, Intel Corp., Order Number 253669-047US, June 2013. Also, their fixed threshold results in performance losses if even a single processor node has high power consumption.